We are often asked by friends or customers abou the essential SEO tools that any business should be using in order to measure, review and optimise their online presence, ideally for little or no cost.
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We usually recommend 3 simple tools, two of them offered by Google. These are easy to use, and even someone with very little experience will be able to grasp them and gradually improve their knowledge of SEO.
There are obviously hundreds of other tools out there to help you master your SEO skills, but these are 3 essentials that everyone should be using, regardless of their knowledge or experience. So here we go:
1) Google Analytics: this one is a no-brainer. Google and Analytics have been in the foundation of what SEO is today, and this is a free tool and no website can live without.
You just have to add a small piece of code onto your website, and Google will essentially be capturing an impressive amount of data from your users, your traffic, what they’re doing, where they’re coming from. You will then be able to setup goals, create reports, and ensure that you are constantly making improvements that will benefit your website.
2) Google Search Console: this used to be a very technical tool, only for SEO technicians to look at, but it has become an amazing tool to use side by side with GA. In a nutshell, you’ll be able to master your keyword analysis.
See what users are searching for when they land on your website, what are the areas for improvement, great opportunities for long tail keywords, and so on.
This is a tool that we recommend to visit at least once a week, as there may be errors that must be addressed (Google will periodically inform you about technical improvements on your website, such as sitemaps, mobile optimisation, etc).
3) SE Ranking: we have been collaborating with this great SEO company for a few years now, and we definitely advocate for their service.
This is a premium service, but it is a lot more affordable than other tools in the market that will offer very similar tools, and in some cases have information that is less accurate. SE Ranking offers great reporting, great auditing and keyword research tools, and from our experience they have very accurate numbers.
Some other best practices that we strongly recommend:
– Read, read & read. There are great publications, blogs, podcasts out there where you can gain clarity and make sure you are up-to-date when it comes to SEO. Google also has great literature and blogs for you to look at.
– Do a certification. Websites like Udemy, Coursera have courses with tremendous reviews, and you can also do Google’s Fundamentals of Digital Marketing certification, which we thoroughly recommend.
– Go to local events (for example on Meetup.com) or join groups on LinkedIn. SEO is one of the most discussed topics out there, and you will find an incredible amount of information being shared on a daily basis.
If you have any questions or comments, do not hesitate to contact us!
